For many public service vehicles there is a need for lighting systems capable of operation in various easily recognizable modes. For example, service vehicles such as police vehicles may require the capacity to operate their lighting systems in at least Stealth, Pursuit, and Traffic Advisor modes. In Stealth mode, to be inconspicuous the vehicle is operated without activating auxiliary lighting such as the traditional red and blue flashing light bar with which most police vehicles are equipped. In Pursuit mode, the user activates the flashing red and blue light bar to advertise that the vehicle is on the way to an emergency or in pursuit of another vehicle, and that the public should take steps to avoid impeding the service vehicle's progress. In Traffic Advisor mode, when the vehicle is deployed to regulate traffic flow such as at an accident site or a construction site, a separate light bar included in the vehicle may be activated to exhibit a sequentially actuated pattern, for example flashing yellow arrows or chevrons, to advise oncoming traffic to merge left or right.
Such conventional flashing light bars are most typically situated centrally on the police vehicle, for example on the vehicle roof for the flashing red and blue light bar and at a rear of the vehicle for the traffic control light bar. Front and rear lighting including headlights, brake lights, and running lights may also be configured to actuate intermittently to attract attention as part of the emergency lighting system, for example when the flashing red and blue light bar is activated. Most service vehicles are not provided with other supplemental lighting systems. At most, some supplemental lighting indicative of the above-described modes may be disposed on the vehicle side mirror skull cap, and so is only effective as a warning to persons situated forward of the police vehicle.
While the above-discussed lighting systems are effective for their intended purpose, the public can benefit from supplemental lighting systems providing the same warnings. This is similar in principle to the practice of positioning warning signals such as turn signal indicators in or on side view mirrors disposed at the outboard extremities of a vehicle, to supplement the main turn signal warning indicators and thereby to increase the likelihood of attracting the attention of nearby vehicular and pedestrian traffic. The present disclosure satisfies this need in the art by providing a side-view mirror provided with a warning indicator system configured to emit visible, recognizable light signals in Stealth, Pursuit, and Traffic Advisor modes. Advantageously, the disclosed side mirrors are relatively un-complex in design and do not require bulky electronics for operation.